Capless wig construction

ABSTRACT

A capless stretch wig constructed in a novel manner employing an elastic base generally conforming to the shape of a human head which is provided with elastic hair wefts secured to the elastic base. The wefts are characterized by at least a pair of parallel extending elastic threads upon which the hair fibers are uniquely attached by weaving a continuous inelastic thread around the shank portions of the hair fibers and a respective elastic strand at the intersection between the shank portions and the respective strands. This weft construction does not substantially interfere with the elasticity of the elastic thread material to permit maximum elongations such that the base and hair wefts conform more closely to the total contour of the wearer&#39;&#39;s head.

United StateS Patent t Jan. 28, 1975 Fannin 1 CAPLESS WlG CONSTRUCTION [75] Inventor: Larry L. Fannin Colum'bus, Ohio [73] Assignee: Nu-Look Fashions, Inc., Columbus.

Ohio

[22] Filed: Feb. 21, 1974 [21] Appl. No.: 444,271

[52] US. Cl. 132/53 [51] Int. Cl A4lg 3/00 .[58] Field of Search 132/53, 54, 5, 105

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 670,857 3/1901 Dorenwend 4. 132/53 1,042,972 10/1912 Ronshkowskym. 132/53 1,549,334 8/1925 Ruffio 132/105 3,651,821 3/1972 Mielkc l 132/53 3,734,105 3/1973 Borghese 132/53 3,777,768 12/1973 Scigliano 132/53 Primary Examiner-G. E. McNeil] Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Cennamo; Kremblas; Foster [57] ABSTRACT hair wefts secured to the elastic base. The wefts are characterized by at least a pair of parallel extending elastic threads upon which the hair fibers are uniquely attached by weaving a continuous inelastic thread around the shank portions of the hair fibers and a respective elastic strand at the intersection between the shank portions and the respective strands.

This weft construction does not substantially interfere with the elasticity of the elastic thread material to permit maximum elongations such that the base and hair wefts conform more closely to the total contour of the wearers head.

6 Claims, 10 Drawing Figures PATENTED JAN 2 8 I575 SHEET 2 OF 3 l CAPLESS WIG CONSTRUCTION BACKGROUND The popularity of wigs has grown steadily over the past two decades and the search for a more comfort-' able and inexpensive construction has increased accordingly. However, the attractiveness of the wig when worn is essential to its success and while many different constructions have been proposed, very few have solved the problems involved satisfactorily.

The search for new and more comfortable wigs led to the design of the stretch wig which would fit a given range of head sizes. Early models of this type were the full cap design which employed a small elastic mesh material attached to an elastic headband. The wefts of hair were stitched conventionally to the elastic mesh. This type of wig construction has the disadvantage of being rather warm since the mesh is quite small.

A lighter and more comfortable design which found popularity in recent years was the so-called capless wig. In this model, the base is more or less open with spaced strips providing a foundation upon which the hair wefts may be attached. Prior art types of the capless stretch wigs incorporate elastic strips in the construction of the base to attempt to provide an appropriate fit for a given range of head sizes. However, one of the shortcomings of this type of wig rests with the inelastic construction of the hair wefts attached to the base. Attempts to use elastic material in the weft with the hair fibers conventionally stitched thereto had the effect of neutralizing the elasticity of the weft. Therefore, prior to the present invention, capless stretch wigs utilized only an elastic base or foundation to provide for the stretch feature of the wig.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates generally to a capless stretch wig construction which is characterized by the utilization of both an elastic base and an elastic hair weft construction. The elastic weft construction includes a.unique attachment of the. hair fibers to the elastic threads forming a portion ofthe weft which permits the elastic threads to retain substantially all of their elasticity. Further, the fibers are more advantageously held in position on the weft as compared to prior wig constructions.

In addition, the hair wefts fabricated in accordance with the present invention are attached to the elastic portions of the base in a manner which permits maximum freedom of both the base and the weft to stretch to conform to the wearers head in a more comfortable and naturally appearing manner as compared to prior wig constructions.

OBJECTS It is a primary object of the present invention to provide a novel capless stretch wig which is constructed in a manner that improves both the comfort and durability and yet appears natural and attractive.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a wig of the type described which increases the only to the general contours of the wearer's head, but also to the more subtle contours which can only be accomplishcd by providing elasticity in the hair wefting construction.

It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a wig of the type described which incorporates IN THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is .a right side elevational view of a wig constructed in accordance with the present invention, the

' bly of the present invention illustrating one preferredwig being shown inside-out to illustrate the base or foundation means;

FIG. 2 is a front elevational view of the wig shown in FIG. I; I

FIG. 3 is atop plan view of the wig shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a rear elevational view of the wig shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a diagrammatic view of a portion of the hair weft assembly constructed in accordance with the present invention which formsa portion of the wig shown in FIG. 1-; I I

FIG. 6 is a diagrammatic view similar to.the view of FIG. 5, which illustrates further detail of the hair weft assembly;

FIG. 7 is a diagrammatic view of the hair weft assembly shown in FIG. 6 in enlarged detail;

FIG. 8 is a diagrammatic view of the hair weft assembly forming a portion of the. present invention in a fur-- ther advanced stageof completion;

FIG. 9 is a diagrammatic view of the hair weft assemfeature in enlarged detail which forms one preferred embodiment of the completed weft construction; and

FIG. 10 is a diagrammatic view similar to FIG. 9 illustrating another preferred feature of a wig construction of the present invention wherein a conventional chain stitch is employed in between the first and second elastic threads forming the weft assembly.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Referring in detail to the drawings, a capless stretch wig constructed in accordance with the present invention is illustrated in FIGS. 1-4 and includes a foundation or base means, indicated generally at 20.

Base means 20 includes an inelastic front portion 22 which includes conventionally attached hair fibers and an inelastic rear portion 24. Front portion 22 forms the front hairline and extends rearwardly approximately two to three inches to cover the top front portion of the wearers head. The rear portion 24 is relatively narrow and generally conforms to the nape of the wearers head.

Base means 20 is also provided with a plurality of elastic strips which are attached between front and rear portions 22 and 24 to form a generally cup-shaped skeleton.

A first set of elastic strips 26 are conventionally sewn or stitched to front portion. 22 and extend rearwardly in spaced, substantially parallel relationship.

Also extending in the same manner from front portion 22 are a pair of elastic strips 28 which are generally centrally located and terminate by attachment to rear portion 24.

A generally U-shaped elastic strip 30 has each leg secured to rear portion 24 with the upper closed portion reaching the crown area of the wig.

All of the strips 26, with exception of the extreme outer strips on each side, are attached to strip 30. The outer side strips 26 are attached to rear portion 24.

A plurality of hair wefts, such as at 32, extend laterally from each side of the base 20 and are sewn or stitched at points of intersection with strips 26, 28 and 30.

Preferably, at the points of attachment between wefts 32 and the elastic strips mentioned above, the strips are slightly tucked or pleated to afford maximum usage of the elasticity of both the strips and the wefts.

Now referring to FIGS. -10, the unique construction of wefts 32 is diagrammatically illustrated by showing various stages of the assembly of thewefts. The weft is formed by arranging a first elastic thread 34 perpendicular to a plurality of hair fibers 36 sufficient in number to appear full and natural in appearance. As used herein, hair fibers may be either natural or synthetic hair.

Also it should be pointed out that for clarity of description, hair fibers 36 are shown as single fibers, but the following description applies to a plurality of fibers, such as three to six in a group, which are connected in the same manner as a single fiber as described herein.

Each hair fiber 36 is positioned such that thread 34 intersects approximately the middle of each fiber 36. An inelastic thread 38 is then looped or woven around the shank of each fiber 36 and thread 34 in a continuous manner at the point of intersection between the fiber and the thread. Preferably, once an appropriate length of elastic thread has been prepared by attaching fibers 36 in this manner, inelastic thread 38 is terminated by any suitable conventional tie off procedure to prevent unraveling.

The next step provides a second elastic thread 40 extending in a spaced, substantially parallel relationship to thread 34. The upper end of each of the fibers 36 is then folded downwardly, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, such that two shank portions of each fiber lays over thread 40 and the free ends of the fiber extend in the same direction. Then a second inelastic thread 42 is woven around the double shank portions of each fiber 36 and thread 40 to bind the fibers in a similar manner as they are bound to thread 34.

It should be noted at this point that the fibers 36 are sufficiently secured to the elastic threads 34 and 40 to around the next fiber. This third elastic thread 44A is preferred to add even more durability to the wig construction to provide additional protection against extremely harsh treatment and also functions to aid in maintaining the proper spacing of the hair fibers along the length of elastic threads 34 and 40. It should be noted that in forming each loop in thread 44A, the indi vidual loops are somewhat loose when the weft is not stretched but tightens upon stretching the weft.

Now referring specifically to FIG. 9, another embodiment is shown which differs only in that the third elastic thread 44 utilizes a tied loop around the hair fibers rather than the chain stitch loop of 44A in FIG. 10. It should be pointed out that the construction shown in FIG. 10 is preferred because of the ease in automated machine manufacture as compared to that shown in FIG. 9. Other arrangements of the third elastic thread could be used without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

It is important to point out that the novel weft construction described above not only securely holds the fibers 36 in position, but also does not significantly interfere with the elasticity of threads 34 and 40 and 44 as does the conventional tieing or bobbin sewing of the fiber to the wefting. For example, threads 34 and 40 are capable of stretching to almost double their original length with or without hair fibers attached thereto in the manner described herein.

Capless wigs constructed in accordance with the present invention possess the ability to comfortably fit a range in head sizes of approximately 6 inches compared to the conventional range of about 2 to 3 inches.

This excellent improvement occurs because the hair wefts 32 as well as the base are elasticized. In addition, the elastic weft 32 permits the wig to adapt to all the contours of the wearers head in between the base strips 26, 28 and 30 as well as along the line of elongation of the base strips. This feature adds tremendous improvement in'the comfort of the wig without detriment to the secure positioning of the wig on the wearers head. It also makes the wig more attractive because it has an improved natural appearance when worn by the user.

Therefore it follows that the tremendous size range afforded by the present invention reduces manufacturing costs since one manufactured size will fit a wider range of head sizes. For example, a single wig design in accordance with the present invention will fit head sizes between 18 to 24 inches in circumference in a comfortable manner.

One further important advantage of the present invention should be pointed out in that the unique weave construction described can not unravel even if cut at any one given point. Unlike conventional wigs, the wig of the present invention cannot unravel even if cut at any one given point. If cut or broken, adjacent fibers still maintain their secure position. I

For purposes of description, the method of construction of the elastic wefting was described as done by hand. However, equipment is presently available and wigs of the present invention are primarily manufactured by automated machines in large volume.

In view of the foregoing description, it should be readily understood that the wigs constructed in accordance with the present invention provides a truly significant advance in the art. The base means, the weft and hair fibers are joined at points of intersection to form a totally fabricated unit capable of stretching in substantially all directions in accordance with the contour of the wearers head.

I claim:

1. A capless stretch wig comprising, in combination,

a foundation base means provided with an inelastic front portion and an inelastic rear strip portion, said inelastic portions being connected to one another by a plurality of spaced elastic strips to form a shape conforming to the human head, a portion of said elastic strips extend substantially parallel to one another from the front toward the rear portion of said base means with at least one elastic strip being generally U-shaped and having each leg portion connected to the inelastic rear portion of said base means; and a plurality of elastic hair wefts connected to said elastic strips of said base means, each of said wefts provided with hair fibers woven to said wefts to permit the length of said wefts between points of connection with said elastic strips to be elongated to at least approximately l5( percent of their normal length.

2. The wig defeined in claim 1 wherein said elastic wefts include at least two substantially parallel extending elastic strands having hair fibers extending substantially perpendicular to said elastic strands, the shank portions of said hair fibers being connected at the pointof intersection with a respective elastic strand by an inelastic thread woven around the shank portions of said fibers andthe respective elastic strand.

3. The wig construction defined in claim 2 including a third elastic strand extending substantially parallel to and disposed between said two parallel strands upon which said hair fibers are connected, said third elastic strand forming a conventional continuous chain stitch around adjacent groups of hair fibers.

4. in a capless stretch wig construction the combination of an elastic base generally conforming to the shape of a human head and an elastic weft assembly attached to said base, said weft assembly including a first and second elastic thread extending substantially parallel to each other and provided with a plurality of hair fibers disposed substantially perpendicular to said elastic threads, said hair fibers being attached to said first elastic thread by a first inelastic thread continuously wound around one or more of said hair fibers and said first elastic thread at the point of intersection between said fibers and .said first elastic thread, each of said hair fibers having two shank portions intersecting said second elastic thread and bound thereto by a second inelastic thread wound around the doubled shank porfirst and second elastic threads. 

1. A capless stretch wig comprising, in combination, a foundation base means provided with an inelastic front portion and an inelastic rear strip portion, said inelastic portions being connected to one another by a plurality of spaced elastic strips to form a shape conforming to the human head, a portion of said elastic strips extend substantially parallel to one another from the front toward the rear portion of said base means with at least one elastic strip being generally U-shaped and having each leg portion connected to the inelastic rear portion of said base means; and a plurality of elastic hair wefts connected to said elastic strips of said base means, each of said wefts provided with hair fibers woven to said wefts to permit the length of said wefts between points of connection with said elastic strips to be elongated to at least approximately 150 percent of their normal length.
 2. The wig defeined in claim 1 wherein said elastic wefts include at least two substantially parallel extending elastic strands having hair fibers extending substantially perpendicular to said elastic strands, the shank portions of said hair fibers being connected at the point of intersection with a respective elastic strand by an inelastic thread woven around the shank portions of said fibers and the respective elastic strand.
 3. The wig construction defined in claim 2 including a third elastic strand extending substantially parallel to and disposed between said two parallel strands upon which said hair fibers are connected, said third elastic strand forming a conventional continuous chain stitch around adjacent groups of hair fibers.
 4. In a capless stretch wig construction the combination of an elastic base generally conforming to the shape of a human head and an elastic weft assembly attached to said base, said weft assembly including a first and second elastic thread extending substantially parallel to each other and provided with a plurality of hair fibers disposed substantially perpendicular to said elastic threads, said hair fibers being attached to said first elastic thread by a first inelastic thread continuously wound around one or more of said hair fibers and said first elastic thread at the point of intersection between said fibers and said first elastic thread, each of said hair fibers having two shank portions intersecting said second elastic thread and bound thereto by a second inelastic thread wound around the doubled shank portions of one or more hair fibers and said second elastic thread.
 5. The wig construction defined in claim 4 including a third elastic thread extending substantially parallel to said first and second elastic threads and forming a plurality of loops, each of said loops surrounding the shank portions of one or more hair fibers attached to said first and second elastic threads.
 6. The wig construction defined in claim 5 wherein said third elastic thread is disposed intermediate said first and second elastic threads. 